1 Answer
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But the stems are so hard to crush up! <DRAMATIC SIGH> ;)
– EricaDec 10 '17 at 20:31

@Erica, they are (and even worse than star anise, a question you've inspired btw). I was hoping for some more insight how to improve that.
– GhanimaDec 10 '17 at 22:42

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Its probably less work than removing the berries one by one ;p
– Journeyman GeekDec 11 '17 at 0:44

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I crush the whole thing with a pestle and mortar. Not trying to do too many at a time helps a lot. You also don't need it to be as fine as you might think, at least when there's long slow cooking in liquid, as they soften significantly. An old family recipe for apple pie had whole cloves in (known as "nails" when we were children). Normally they'd be left (like cardamom pods in pilau rice) but they were chewy rather than hard by the time the apples were cooked.
– Chris HDec 11 '17 at 9:40